Why the Suzuki X-90 Was the Strangest Car Ever
The Suzuki X-90 was a two-door SUV produced in the 90s and unlike any other car we’ve ever seen.
Written by Alexandra Maloney
Reviewed by Kathleen Flear
Produced for just two years, the Suzuki X-90 definitely made its mark on car history, but not in the way you might imagine. The Suzuki X-90, produced in the mid-
1990s
, is known for being one of the most peculiar cars ever made, even now decades later. Jerry
, the trustworthy insurance comparison app
shares what you need to know about this car, including what makes it so strange and why it had such a short lifespan.What was the Suzuki X-90?
The Suzuki X-90 was a front-engine vehicle with a truly unique design that was an attempt to replace the Samurai vehicle in American markets. According to
HotCars
, the vehicle was unveiled at the Tokyo motor show in Japan in 1993. The car then hit Japanese roads in 1995, and American roads shortly after in 1996. The X-90 was powered by a 1.6-liter, inline-4 engine that had 16 valves. The engine produced only a weak 95 hp and all the power was produced through a five-speed manual or a five-speed automatic gearbox.
While the car had many strange features, the engine wasn’t that unusual. Neither were the safety features, which included airbags, side-impact beams, and daytime running lights. In fact, the safety features were actually a redeeming quality.
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What made the car so strange?
The biggest thing that made the Suzuki X-90 a strange car was its unique design. The car was a two-door, mini SUV which was unlike anything the car market has seen before. According to
MotorBiscuit
, Suzuki described the car as a “sporty utility vehicle” and said it was manufactured with “the expressive American youth market in mind.” Although the car was incredibly lightweight at less than 2,500 pounds, it was still fairly big in stature, at 146 inches long and 67 inches wide. The interesting proportions were one thing car critics didn’t like.
On top of that, the car featured a removable Targa-top roof. When you were driving this oddly proportioned car, going 60 mph felt like going 100 mph, so a removable roof only aided in that feeling of speed and weightlessness. Critics also stated the car’s design made it have sloppy steering and difficult handling, which didn’t help the Suzuki X-90 sell any faster.
Why did the Suzuki X-90 fail?
At the end of the day, the Suzuki X-90 just wasn’t a popular car because of its odd design, peculiar proportions and more. Suzuki’s goal was to sell about 2,000 X-90s per month, but quickly realized that wasn’t going to happen, and began slashing prices in hopes of moving more vehicles.
Ultimately, the car manufacturer realized the Suzuki X-90 just wasn’t going to be a hit after selling only 7,000 of them between 1996 and 1998. But, if you’re in search of one of these quirky cars today, many used ones can still be found.
Above all else, the Suzuki X-90 is a unique weird looking car and would make an interesting addition to any car collector’s garage.
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